Truex, Logano 'know where we stand' after Martinsville

Truex, Logano 'know where we stand' after Martinsville

Joey Logano had planned on waiting a few days after the Martinsville race before reaching out to Martin Truex Jr. But Truex beat Logano to it, sending the Team Penske driver a text last Sunday night as Logano was driving home.

“I can’t say I was surprised he texted me; I was actually kind of glad that he did,” Logano said Friday at Texas Motor Speedway where the Round of 8 continues. “It kind of broke the ice. I was planning on waiting a couple days to let things settle, so it kind of got a lot of things out of the way there.

“We both know where we stand. We know where it’s at. It is what it is, and we move on.”

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Logano didn’t reveal the nature of the conversation. However, he doesn’t believe anything will change from what both sides had to say after the First Data 500 when Logano bumped Truex in Turn 3 on his way to the win.

Truex told ESPN.com on Thursday he will not retaliate against Logano, but “things have changed between us.” The 2017 champion also reiterated that he wouldn’t wreck someone to win a race or the championship.

On the move he made last weekend, Logano said he believes a majority of the competition supported it.

“It’s the position that our sport puts you in in the playoffs,” said Logano. “You’re in the playoffs; you have the opportunity to lock yourself in the Championship 4; you don’t know what’s going to happen in the next two races; it’s right there; it’s Martinsville; it’s classic short-track racing that we’ve seen hundred times.

“Like I said after the race, some fans love it, and some don’t. Either way, you’re going to have plenty of questions afterward. If you don’t do it, it’s why didn’t you do it? And if you do it, half are going to be happy, and half aren’t.

“I guess I’m not here to make everybody happy. I’m here to do my job for my race team. I said it after the race, they did such a great job all day long, and we led [309] laps. If you don’t try to win the race, I would expect them to be very disappointed in me as a driver. It was a classic bump-and-run. There was no crashing; there was no cars backed into the wall, it was a bump up just enough to get there and then we had classic drag race and cool finish for everybody.”

Logano said “time will tell” if everything is fine between the two drivers.

“Obviously he was a little frustrated, and that’s part of it, but I also think it’s short-track racing,” said Logano.

Kelly Crandall

Kelly has been on the NASCAR beat full-time since 2013, and joined RACER as chief NASCAR writer in 2017. Her work has also appeared in NASCAR.com, the NASCAR Illustrated magazine, and NBC Sports. A corporate communications graduate from Central Penn College, Crandall is a two-time George Cunningham Writer of the Year recipient from the National Motorsports Press Association.